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Morgan Grimes
Morgan Guillermo Grimes is a major character on the television series Chuck. He is portrayed by actor Joshua Gomez, and is the best friend and roommate of Chuck Bartowski. Along with Captain Awesome and Chuck's older sister Ellie, he is one of the few loyal keepers of Chuck's secret life as a spy. Alongside Casey and Sarah he is also a valued member of Operation Bartowski. Biography Morgan Grimes and Chuck Bartowski have been best friends for most of their lives, dating back at least as early as the 5th grade. Much of the time has been spent being looked out for and protected by Chuck, including from bullies, but Morgan has also been there for him through many of the most difficult moments of Chuck's life. When Chuck and Ellie's mother and father left, Morgan was there even though they were both too young to understand what it meant."Chuck Versus the Best Friend" He also was there to provide support when Chuck was expelled from Stanford and Jill dumped him for Bryce Larkin. As close as he is to Chuck, Morgan's relationship with Chuck's sister Ellie has been more complex. His long-time crush on Ellie is widely-known,"Chuck Versus the Nemesis"Captain Awesome's Blog: [http://blog.nbc.com/Captain_Awesome/ Captain Awesome's Tips for Being Awesome] and in the mid-90s she established a "No Touch" policy."Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover" He's known to have hidden under Ellie's bed when younger to watch her undress."Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp" His mother's name is Bolonia (Patricia Rae), but little is known about his father other than he and Bolonia are no longer together."Chuck Versus the Suburbs" Morgan has implied in at least one episode even his own mother doesn't think much of him."Chuck Versus the Crown Vic" Morgan is also the only Canadian employee at the Burbank Buy More. As a child he was teased with the nickname "Organ." In the first episode it is mentioned when Sarah made the comment about the rarity of Chuck's name Chuck said that Morgan was raised by circus people."Chuck Versus the Wookie"Due to ordering a new season Morgan, came back saying he forget how to flip the shrimp. In "Chuck versus the Beard", Morgan found out about Chuck secret, but is not around to help on the missions due to Chuck not wanting him to get hurt. Series Morgan is unaware of Chuck's secret life. For much of the first season, Morgan was primarily used for comic relief in Chuck's personal life, although as the series progressed he began to develop and gained more independence from his use as Chuck's foil. However like Ellie and Devon Woodcomb Morgan has rarely been directly involved with the main plot of the episode. Much of Morgan's development as a character has continued to center around his friendship with Chuck and events at the Buy More. On occasion, Morgan has been drawn into the main story. In "Chuck Versus the Wookie," Sarah agreed to get him a date with her DEA friend Carina, in part to distract her from getting too curious about Chuck, and Carina later hid the diamond she stole in Morgan's bag. He was inadvertently involved in the events of "Chuck Versus the Crown Vic" and "Chuck Versus the Marlin." Morgan's biggest role in the main plots were in "Chuck Versus Santa Claus," where he played a key role in helping Awesome and "Big Mike" subdue Ned, and in "Chuck Versus the Best Friend," when he is misidentified by Smooth Lau as a spy. Morgan has also at times unwittingly given Chuck ideas that allow him to complete a mission."Chuck Versus the Intersect""Chuck Versus the Fat Lady" Morgan is typically the main focus of the Buy More subplots, and as the series progressed he has begun to see more responsibility in the store. He was asked by "Big Mike" to help Poppy Tang pick out a gift for Harry,"Chuck Versus the Truth" and was twice placed in charge of preparing the store for Black Friday."Chuck Versus the Gravitron" Morgan was also involved with helping Chuck interview candidates for the assistant manager's position in the first part of season two, before deciding the position by pitting Jeff and Lester against themselves in a Thunderdome fight in the storage cage."Chuck Versus the First Date" Morgan also led revolts against Harry Tang"Chuck Versus the Alma Mater" and Lester"Chuck Versus the Seduction" when they each exceeded their authority as assistant manager. Ironically, he became assistant manager himself under Emmett, until he quit the Buy More to pursue his dream as a Benihana chef in Hawaii."Chuck vs. the Colonel" During "Chuck Versus The Beard", Morgan discovers CASTLE after a group of Ring operatives compromise it, and "reveals" it's existence to Chuck. The two are later captured, and Chuck is forced to reveal to Morgan that he, Casey and Sarah are all spies. In the events of "Chuck Versus The Other Guy," Morgan is able to contribute to the team by spotting a choreographed fight, revealing Agent Shaw to be working for the Ring. Following the mission, Morgan is approached by the CIA and given a position on "Team Bartowski", much to General Beckman's chagrin. Morgan's first mission with Team Bartowski was to help locate Chuck and Sarah with Casey's help. After that mission, he starts spy training under Casey and although he fails every test, Casey passes him for having balls to go up against a tiger unarmed. Morgan soon becomes an integral factor that led to the downfall of the Ring. Because he was the only member of the team not arrested, due to the return of Daniel Shaw, who discredits the team, he and Devon rescue the team, before going to capture the Ring Elders. During this time, Morgan becomes acquainted with Casey's daughter Alex. When Casey finds that she has his phone number, he becomes very angry. Development In March, 2007, Joshua Gomez was cast in what was then the role of "Morgan Pace," Joining Zachary Levi, (Chuck) Yvonne Strahovski, (Sarah) and Adam Baldwin (John Casey).Development Update: Friday, March 16, [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7327 The Futon Critic] Chuck refers to him as "Morgan Santos" in the Morgan's Vlog series, perhaps showing that this mini series was filmed prior to the first episode. Prior to the beginning of filming his last name was changed to Grimes. Much like the character he portrays, Gomez is an avid gamer. Additionally, Levi and Gomez quickly established a close friendship when production began and Levi describes themselves as "Two little peas in a pod."IGN.com: [http://tv.ign.com/articles/860/860824p1.html Chuck Versus the Lost Producter] As the series has progressed, the show involved less of the relationship between Chuck and Morgan. Morgan began to feature more into the Buy More sub-plots, and although Gomez enjoys them, misses the interaction between Chuck and Morgan from earlier in the series.Interview, November 17, 2008: [http://www.buddytv.com/articles/chuck/exclusive-interview-joshua-gom-24572.aspx BuddyTV.com interview with Joshua Gomez] Gomez has also expressed an interest in being involved in more of the show's action.Attack of the Show: [http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/28910/Chuck.html Attack of the Show Video Preview] At WonderCon 2009, it was indicated Big Mike will be upgrading Morgan's position at the Buy More.WonderCon, March 2, 2009: [http://zachary-levi.com/2009/03/02/wondercon-2009/#more-1999 WonderCon Spoilers] Personality Morgan begins the series as very immature and spends most of his time working, hanging out with Chuck and playing video games. He is involved with numerous antics in the store, including "Mystery Crisper," where Anna Wu remarks he can eat anything. He has also nearly gotten in trouble for sexual harassment and skipped work to visit an arcade."Chuck Versus the Sandworm" He's destroyed a store display computer by picking up a virus when surfing for porn, is frequently involved with misuse of store equipment, such as running a TV show guessing competition on the video wall and using the storage cage for a Thunderdome match to determine the new assistant store manager. Chuck has also told Morgan he's not allowed access to Chuck's advanced demos of new games without "adult supervision.""Chuck Versus the Marlin" Morgan has also been known to "borrow" Buy More's DVDs off the shelf, copying them, and then re-shrinkwrapping them before returning them. Morgan is frequently shown to be carrying around a bag with "Tyrell Corporation" printed on it, an obvious homage to the corporation of the same name in the 1980s movie Blade Runner. When Morgan and Anna first explored moving in together, he borrowed $2500 from Captain Awesome for a deposit on an apartment, which he then impulsively spent on a used, broken-down Delorean."Chuck Versus the Delorean" He later tried to repel Anna when she found an apartment lease intended for Chuck and himself, mistakenly believing it was for them."Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon" Morgan is the best Call of Duty 4 player in the store."Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami" He has, however, shown signs of growing responsibility. Big Mike placed him in charge of the store for Black Friday in both seasons."Chuck vs. the Gravitron">"Chuck vs. the Nemesis"> However, Morgan himself is not a very good salesman. After initially trying to dissuade Anna from moving in with him, he realized he truly did want to be with her and accepted. However, Morgan has evidently never finalized living arrangements with Anna and still lives with his mother."Chuck vs. the Predator" Morgan has also supported Ellie when she went through a rough spot with Devon and worked with Lester, Jeff, and Emmett to try to find Big Mike a date after his divorce. Morgan's most important relationship is his friendship with Chuck, and he has shown himself willing to go to extreme lengths for his friend. Like Ellie, Morgan can be highly protective, and when she tried to push Chuck into moving forward with his life, Morgan got into an argument with her on what sort of five-year plan he needed."Chuck Versus the Helicopter" He was there when Chuck's mother left them, and also helped support him when he was expelled from Stanford. Morgan was distressed to learn that Ellie supported Chuck's intent to break up with Sarah late in the second season, and quickly reminded her that Sarah was the best thing to have happened to Chuck since Jill cheated on him."Chuck vs. the Beefcake" He was also upset when he thought Chuck was cheating on Sarah with Jill. Morgan stood up to Milbarge to protect Chuck, and when Chuck skipped his interview to stop a rogue government asset from setting off a bomb, Morgan tried unsuccessfully to interview on his behalf. He is also very nosy about Chuck's personal life and believes his approval of Chuck's girlfriends is important. Morgan's other major relationship is with his on again/off again girlfriend Anna Wu, who also works at the Buy More as a member of the Nerd Herd. Although Morgan's behavior at times borders on stalkerish, he cares about her a great deal. In "Chuck Versus the Colonel," he asks Anna to accompany him to Hawaii while he trains to be a Benihana chef. A recurring thread throughout much of the first season is Morgan's obsessive love for Ellie Bartowski, which is not reciprocated. However as the series progressed, the two came to an understanding and developed something of a friendship after bonding over an "I miss Chuck" moment. Morgan has admitted that he sees Ellie as a sister, albeit one with whom he wants to have sex. Morgan's crush on Ellie generated some problems in "Chuck Versus the Nemesis" when he brought Anna Wu to Thanksgiving dinner. The Morgan In "Chuck Versus the First Kill" Chuck introduces a move he calls "The Morgan." It is performed by twisting the body to the side and raising one knee to cover the groin, while covering both face and groin with his hands. According to Chuck, Morgan used this stance to protect himself from being hit in school, often by girls. Trivia *When Chuck looks at Morgan's locker at the Buy More, there is a sticker on it from the San Diego Comic Con. Ironically, if Morgan had gone to it he may have seen the cast of Chuck there talking about their second season. References Category:Characters